An original Japanese Fairy tale

Kinu

Kinu has lost everything.

Life in Ogimara village had become a bore. For a girl as young and as spirited as Kinu, nothing would have given her greater pleasure than to leave and seek her own fortune. Irritated at the demand to inherit the family farm, she rebelled as only a child could do so, that was until a great tragedy struck the family.

For anyone else, this difficult time would have been equal parts grief and comfort. Family would rally around and ensure that the broken girl would have the support so desperately needed, yet in this instance, help simply did not exist.

Driven mad with depression, Kinu took to the nearby mountains and followed the paths of pilgrims past. She reached the destination that many had made before her, arriving at a small shrine that overlooked the village, where those who made the journey would pray for good harvests.

Kinu did not pray for a good harvest.

With her hands as tight as one would make them, she made the single, most desperate plea one could ever make;

She asked the God of the mountain to take her life.

Now, to provoke a deity in such a fashion is foolish. Tales are regularly told of those who test the patience of Gods and attempt bargains for their own benefit, only to be discovered and reprimanded.

But Kinu wished for no gold, nor fame, nor anything else one would have asked for.

And the God of the mountain would grant this request – though before that day came, Kinu would need to tend to the ramshackle shrine and ensure its upkeep. She would need to mend its roof and fix its doors and patch the tatami mats.